Christmas vacation brought all ten of my kids together under one roof! Moments like these are precious, and we’re making the most of it by doing what we love: playing games. Sure, video games and board games have their place, but my absolute favorites are the ones that only require our imaginations and a dash of silliness. Looking for some screen-free entertainment for your family? Here are some fantastic games you can play with your family without anything at all!
1. Stinky Pinkies: The Rhyming Riddle Game
Stinky Pinkies is a rhyming riddle game perfect for all ages and levels, from kids just learning to rhyme to adults with complex minds. My seven-year-old is obsessed with this game on car rides! One person thinks of two words that rhyme and have the same number of syllables and gives clues. The others guess. The first to guess correctly gets to create the next riddle.
The name changes based on syllables:
- One syllable: Stink Pink
- Two syllables: Stinky Pinky
- Three syllables: Stinkity Pinkity
- Four syllables: Stink-inkity Pink-inkity
Simple Example:
- Riddle: A stink pink that’s a container for an orange animal with a big tail.
- Answer: Fox box.
More Challenging Example:
- Riddle: What’s a wild, irresponsible string of pearls?
- Answer: A reckless necklace.
I even stumped my son with “zipper flipper” in mind, hinting at “something that fastens pants and goes upside down,” but he cleverly guessed “suspender up-ender.” Get creative and have fun with it!
2. Excuses, Excuses: Improv Office Chaos
Get ready to get out of your seats for Excuses, Excuses! This game, a hilarious mix of charades and improv comedy reminiscent of ‘The Office’, is perfect for ages 6 to adult. It’s easy to jump in and out of, and just as fun to watch as it is to play.
How to Play:
- Roles: Choose a Boss, an Employee (late for work), and a Co-worker.
- Setup: The Boss faces the Employee. The Co-worker stands behind the Boss, visible to the Employee but not the Boss.
- The Accusation: The Boss barks, “Why were you late?”
- The Excuses (with a twist): The Employee must explain their lateness by describing what the Co-worker is miming. The Boss can’t see the Co-worker!
- Co-worker’s Mayhem: The Co-worker acts out ridiculous scenarios: marching, dancing, swatting flies, being strangled, fighting imaginary gorillas – anything goes!
- The Interrogation: At any moment, the Boss can whirl around and yell at the Co-worker, “What are you doing?!”
- Improvise an Excuse: The Co-worker must instantly come up with a plausible, office-appropriate excuse for their bizarre actions. If miming “killing a bear with my teeth,” the Co-worker might say, “Oh, just enjoying one of these delicious crullers! Thanks for the crullers, boss!”
- Judgment: If the Boss likes the excuse, they say, “Okay,” and the game continues. If not, it’s “You’re fired!” and the next person becomes the Co-worker.
Get ready for laughter as you watch the chaotic excuses unfold!
3. Fictionary: Dictionary Deception
Okay, Fictionary needs minimal equipment – just paper and pens, and a thick dictionary. But it’s so good, I had to include it! Best for ages 8 and up, and you need at least four players for maximum fun. The more, the merrier!
Game Play:
- Choose a Word Master: One person is “it” (the Word Master).
- Find an Obscure Word: The Word Master finds an unfamiliar word in the dictionary.
- Write Definitions: The Word Master writes down the real definition. Everyone else writes a fake definition for the same word.
- Read and Guess: The Word Master reads all definitions aloud (without saying who wrote which). Players (except the Word Master) guess which definition is real.
- Reveal and Score: The Word Master reveals the true definition.
Scoring:
- 1 point for guessing the real definition.
- 1 point for each vote your fake definition receives.
- 1 point for the Word Master if no one guesses the real definition.
Take turns being the Word Master each round.
Tips for Word Masters:
- No proper nouns, foreign words, acronyms, or abbreviations.
- Spell and pronounce the word, state the part of speech.
- Simplify the real definition slightly if needed, but don’t change its meaning.
- Read all definitions silently beforehand to ensure clarity and pronunciation.
- Shuffle definitions before reading aloud to avoid clues.
Strategy and Silliness:
Fictionary is brilliant because it blends language skills with psychology. You need to consider who you’re playing with to craft believable (or hilariously unbelievable) fake definitions. And there’s always that one player who just wants to create chaos, score be darned!
4. Ghost: The Spelling Showdown
Ghost is a spelling game that’s surprisingly fun and strategic. It’s more psychological than you might think!
How to Play:
- Letter by Letter: Players take turns adding letters aloud to spell a word.
- Avoid Completion: The goal is to keep the word going as long as possible without being the one to finish it.
- Word in Mind: Each letter added must be contributing to a real word that the player has in mind.
- Example: Player 1 says “C,” Player 2 says “A,” Player 3 says “T.” Player 3 is out because they completed the word “CAT.”
The Challenge (and the “Ghost” element):
You must add a letter that doesn’t complete a word, but you must have a valid word in mind that you are actively spelling. The goal is to trick someone else into completing a word.
The Challenge:
If someone adds a letter that seems to make no sense (doesn’t seem to be heading towards any word), you can challenge them.
- Challenge Successful: If they can’t explain a valid word they were spelling, they become a “ghost” (and are out).
- Challenge Failed: If they can explain a valid word, the challenger becomes the “ghost.”
Keep playing until only one player remains – the winner!
5. Get Down, Mr. President!: Secret Service Silliness
“Get Down, Mr. President!” is a game best played in secret. Don’t announce it; just start playing! It recreates the thrilling (and slightly ridiculous) experience of being a Secret Service agent protecting the President.
How to Play:
- The Signal: One person starts by holding two fingers to their ear, like they’re listening to an earpiece receiving intel.
- Spread the Secret: If you notice someone doing this, you’ve entered the game! Silently start doing the same.
- Subtle Takeover: One by one, everyone catches on, stifling giggles and exchanging knowing glances.
- Identify the President: The game continues until only one person in the room remains clueless and isn’t holding their fingers to their ear. That’s the President.
- The Takedown: Everyone else simultaneously yells, “GET DOWN, MR. PRESIDENT!” and playfully tackles the “President” to the floor.
It’s hilarious, harmless (mostly!), and always catches the “President” by surprise.
Important Note: Husbands may not always appreciate this game as much as kids do, so adjust your presidential protection strategies accordingly!
6. In the Manner of the Adverb: Act It Out!
This game tests your acting skills and adverb knowledge!
How to Play:
- Adverb Selection: One person thinks of an adverb.
- Act It Out: The others shout out actions, like “Make some biscuits in the manner of the adverb!”
- The Performance: The person with the adverb acts out the requested action in the manner of the adverb.
- Guess the Adverb: Others guess adverbs based on the performance, like “Resentfully?” or “Angrily?”
Example:
- Adverb: Bitterly
- Action: Make biscuits.
- Performance: Mutter resentfully about the butter being too warm, complaining about not having the right tools, and expressing doubt anyone will appreciate the effort.
It’s a fun way to see if your family really understands adverbs (and maybe how biscuits are made!).
7. Jebrahamadiah and Balthazar (Master and Servant): The Endless Excuse
“Jebrahamadiah and Balthazar,” or “Master and Servant,” is a role-playing narrative game perfect for sitting down and letting your imaginations run wild. The name? Blame my kids and their strange humor (it involves old political flyers – long story!).
How to Play:
- Roles: Designate a “Master” (Jebrahamadiah) and a “Servant” (Balthazar).
- Commands and Excuses: The Master gives simple commands. The Servant must explain why they cannot fulfill the command, building a consistent, increasingly absurd narrative of excuses.
Example:
- Master: Jebrahamadiah! Go get me a glass of water.
- Servant: I would, but I just broke the last glass.
- Master: Then get me a cup of water.
- Servant: I would, but when I broke the glass, I cut my finger and can’t use my hand.
- Master: Use your other hand!
- Servant: I would, but while searching for a Band-Aid for my one hand, I slammed the medicine cabinet door on my finger, and now both hands are useless.
- …and so on, escalating into ridiculousness!
The longer and more convoluted the excuses, the funnier the game becomes.
8. Shatner! and Duchovny: Act Like a Star
8. Shatner!
This game can be played all day long, during any activity – cooking, setting the table, even during meals. Warning: It might get so intense you have to call a “Shatner!” truce.
Rules: Life goes on as normal until someone yells, “Shatner!” Then, everyone must continue what they were doing, but now acting like William Shatner.
I’m terrible at this, but my kids are frighteningly good at Shatner impressions.
8a. Companion Game: Duchovny
For a change of pace, try “Duchovny.” It’s the opposite of Shatner. When “Duchovny!” is called, everyone responds to everything in an extremely understated, David Duchovny-esque way. The goal is to be so low-key that people wonder if you’re still alive.
9. Pluralize: The Song Transformation
Pluralize is a simple song game with hilarious results.
How to Play:
Sing any song, but replace every singular pronoun (“I,” “me,” “mine”) with the plural form (“we,” “us,” “ours”).
Example: Moana’s “How Far I’ll Go” becomes:
We are some girls who love our islands
We are some girls who love the sea
It calls us
We are the daughters of the village chiefs
We are descended from voyagers
Who found their way across the world
They call us
We’ve delivered us to where we are
We have journeyed farther
We are everything we’ve learned and more
Still it calls us
And the call isn’t out there at all, it’s inside us
It’s like the tide; always falling and rising
We will carry you here in our hearts you’ll remind us
That come what may
We know the way
We are Moanas!
Try it with your favorite songs – the sillier the better!
10. Greg: The Name Game Song Twist
“Greg” is best enjoyed with a bit of silliness – maybe after a few glasses of wine for the adults, or just embrace your inner eleven-year-old.
Rules: Sing songs, but replace “I,” “me,” or “mine” with “Greg.”
Song Examples:
- “With or Without Greg” (U2)
- “Amazing Grace” (How sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like Greg)
- “Till There Was Greg” (The Music Man)
Bonus points if you actually have a “Greg” in the house!
These games are proof that family fun doesn’t need fancy equipment. Just gather your loved ones, unleash your imaginations, and get ready for laughter and memorable moments! Which game will your family try first?
Image: From Wikihow Play Charades (Creative Commons)
